Fully compatible with over 50 EF and EF-S Lenses and a wide range of EOS System accessories

(From company literature) Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi offers an unbeatable combination of performance, ease-of-use and value. It has a newly designed 10.1 MP CMOS sensor plus a host of new features including a 2.5-inch LCD monitor, the exclusive EOS Integrated Cleaning System and Canon's Picture Style technology, all in a lightweight, ergonomic body. The Digital Rebel XTi is proof positive that Canon continues to lead the way with our phenomenal digital SLRs.

10.1 Megapixel APS-C Size CMOS Sensor
Canon's large-area CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor captures images with exceptional clarity and tonal range, and offers the most pixels in its class. This APS-C size sensor (22.2 x 14.8mm) has the same 3:2 ratio as film cameras, enabling an effective angle of view that is 1.6x the normal EF Lens focal length. With pixel resolution of 3,904 x 2,598, the Digital Rebel XTi not only offers the most pixels in its class, but bests many professional level cameras. Recorded on Canon's CMOS sensor, each pixel is captured with fine detail to create images of tremendous depth, nuance and resolution, ensuring enough information for even poster-sized prints.

DIGIC II Image Processor
The EOS Digital Rebel XTi is the product of Canon's extensive in-house development: The DIGIC II Image Processor was designed specifically for Canon digital SLR cameras and enhances every aspect of image capture. Information captured by the CMOS sensor is processed and assembled into images of exceptional quality. With the DIGIC II Image Processor on board, photographers can expect natural color reproduction, precise white balance in any number of lighting situations and unparalleled clarity. The DIGIC II Image Processor employs sophisticated signal processing algorithms and works at greater speeds, all while consuming less energy. The entire processing chip - not just the software that drives it - is dedicated for use in a digital still camera.

Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with new user interface and wide viewing angle.
The EOS Digital Rebel XTi has a brilliant 2.5-inch LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 pixels. Also used in Canon's Professional EOS SLRs, this screen displays more than images. Shooting information and playback are both displayed on the LCD, so that the photographer can see all of the shooting information simultaneously on one screen. Not only can images be viewed larger than on the Digital Rebel XT, they can be viewed at a greater angle (160Â°) than many other conventional LCD monitors.

Display Off Sensor
When composing images, the Digital Rebel XTi's external display turns off automatically thanks to the newly developed Display Off Sensor. This new sensor detects the photographer's face against the back panel of the camera, and turns the screen off to prevent the LCD monitor's brightness from disturbing the photographer's eye while looking through the viewfinder.

Speedy Operation
With a startup time of 0.2 seconds, the EOS Digital Rebel XTi is ready to go the instant it's brought to the eye. And the Digital Rebel XTi's shutter can record images as fast as 1/4000 seconds and as long as 30 sec., plus bulb at up to 3 fps for 27 consecutive shots. It synchronizes with Canon Speedlites at 1/200 seconds.

9-Point AF
The EOS Digital Rebel XTi has a high-precision 9-point AF system for speedy and accurate focusing in any situation. Conveniently located on the back of the camera for thumb-controlled action, Canon's cross key buttons enable instant choice of the 9 focus points, or allow the camera to choose them automatically. One-Shot is perfect for still photography. AI Servo AF tracks moving subjects, ensuring accurate focus. AI Focus AF switches between One-Shot and AI Servo when subjects are moving and stopping. The Digital Rebel XTi's focusing system functions in metering ranges of EV-0.5 to 18, and displays information on the Digital Rebel XTi's big LCD Display.

Print/Share Button
Printing and uploading to a computer is incredibly simple with the Digital Rebel XTi's Print/Share button. By connecting the Digital Rebel XTi to a computer via the USB 2.0 port, it's easy to transfer some or all of the photographs in the cameras memory to folders on the computer.

EF & EF-S Lenses
The EOS Digital Rebel XTi is compatible with all Canon lenses in the EF lineup, ranging from ultra-wide angle to super telephoto lenses, and including Canon's EF-S series lenses, manufactured specifically for Canon’s APS-C sized digital sensor. Canon lenses employ advanced optical expertise and micron-precision engineering to deliver unprecedented performance in all facets of the photographic process. Aspherical optics and fluorite elements, for example, are featured in the universally acclaimed L Series lenses, and Canon's Image Stabilizer technology in select lenses minimizes the effect of camera shake. Through Canon lenses, photographers can truly maximize the quality and liberating performance of the EOS Digital Rebel XTi.

Canon's Speedlite 430EX is perfectly suited to the EOS Digital Rebel XTi. It includes a maximum guide nunber of 141 ft./43m at ISO 100, and when mounted on the camera, automatically compensates for the camera’s sensor size, enabling high output flash, with more flashes per charge. It includes an AF-assist Beam, which works in conjunction with the EOS Digital Rebel XTi’s focusing system, and automatically sends color temperature information to the camera when the flash fires, for more accurate white balance rendition with flash photography.

Additional Accessories
In addition to Canon’s EF lenses and Speedlite flashes, many other accessories are designed by Canon to work perfectly with the EOS Digital Rebel XTi. The Battery Grip BG-E3 adds a vertical shutter release, and is compatible with Battery Pack NB-2LH for increased shooting capacity. Canon's Semi Hard Case EH18-L can accommodate the EOS Digital Rebel XTi with a small zoom lens (an EF-S 18–55mm is included in the EOS Digital Rebel XTi Lens Kit).

Strong, lightweight body with the EOS Integrated Cleaning System including a Self Cleaning Sensor Unit
The EOS Digital Rebel XTi not only sports a newly-refined body with better ergonomics and a new grip, but it also has some of Canon’s most advanced improvements in dust reduction. No matter how careful photographers may be to change lenses in dust free areas and to keep their equipment as clean as possible, dust often ends up on their cameras’ sensors, creating distracting spots on recorded images. The Digital Rebel XTi’s integrated hardware and software solutions make trouble with dust a thing of the past. The Digital Rebel XTi is the first digital EOS SLR camera to feature this important technology: by ensuring the sensor is free of dust and debris, the camera guarantees a cleaner image.

Self Cleaning Sensor Unit
To combat against stray dust that enters the camera and adheres to the image sensor during a lens change, the Digital Rebel XTi features an all-new, Canon-designed Self Cleaning Sensor Unit. The low pass filter cleans itself automatically with ultrasonic vibrations, removing dust from the sensor assembly.

Dust Delete Data Detection
Dust that has been missed by the Integrated Self Cleaning Sensor Unit can also be erased with software included in Digital Photo Professional (DPP) Version 2.2. The Digital Rebel XTi’s imaging sensor is able to single out the dust particles on its surface, then plots out their location coordinates within the image. This data is transmitted along with the image, whether JPEG or RAW, and can be either manually or automatically erased in Canon’s DPP 2.2. This added software option ensures the cleanest possible image, perfect for printing or archiving.

Suggested retail price for Rebel XTi kit is $899 including EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, or $799 for the body only. The Rebel XTi is expected to ship in mid-September.

small viewfinder, impossible to focus manually, no liveview, impossible to check whether the image is focused right or not even at magnified playback, missing the grid lines in the viewfinder, more customizable function buttons would be better (many impor

I have used this camera for more then 2 years and I think this is still a good stuff. It does not have the now more common features like liveview, HD video or 15-20 megapixels, neither has "Creative Aperture" or "Guide" mode on the dial nor can make a cup of coffee for you in the mornings, but for taking great pictures, perfectly appropriate.

I'm sort of at a loss to say why anyone should buy one of these, especially in 2008...it may be a couple-hundred cheaper and definitely smaller than say a 30d, and of course it's 10MP vs 8MP for the 30d but the 30d is a much-better camera, much better fit, better operation, better battery-life, much better viewfinder and above all much-better focus.

I wouldn't let anyone talk me into buying this. Even if in the overall sense it's not that bad. It's just not "good". The viewfinder is too small and the eyepiece is too short and the frame so small that I couldn't get it set right in front of my eye (I shoot with my right eye). The low-light focus (and long-zoom focus) is really, really flaky, it needs excellent contrast, literally a white on dark or near-white on dark subject under the center cross-point to get a good focus. It just isn't worth the cost-savings over a 30d, literally just switching to a 30d with the same lens made the focus issues simply go away. It's somewhat ok for day shooting and you'll steal some good night shots with it but it will drive you nuts with near-focus and missed-focused shots...is it really worth missing half the shots taken in low-light, and even a lot of long-zoom shots in broad daylight, to save $200?

And I hear the XSi is even worse, with a 2shot frame buffer? Jesus.

Plus be prepared to change the battery often.

Having said that I got a lot of good shots out of mine before I sold it in disgust at the hit rate after a trip to Istanbul. I had taken so many practice and test shots comparing it to various bridge cameras (this was my first DSLR, and bridge cameras don't focus all that well in low light) that I didn't notice just how bad the hit-rate was in general use until I took it out on vacation, it is literally around 50%, and of course it missed so many of those "once in a lifetime" shots that I so badly wanted to have. I just couldn't take that chance again, had to get rid of it, and I've never regretted it. Every DSLR I've ever tried afterwards was much better in terms of focus. In fact I've never seen a camera focus as unreliably as this one, bridge cameras and p&s's included. But like the guy below says, when it does hit, especially shooting raw, it'll give you a great shot. The thing is that it hits no more than 50% of the time, mostly what you get is a near-focus if not an outright miss-focus. The difference is clear on close-inspection, especially with well-processed raw shots. And in Istanbul I banged-off several dozen mid to long zoom shots in a row and it missed damm-near every freaking one, it missed several very good wide-angle shots that I wanted, and between that and missing night shots under bright florescent lights shot wide-angle at close range, it was gone. I was lucky to get about half the shots that I took and I would never take that chance again. Took the same Sigma 18-200 DC OS lens and mounted it on a 30d and it would hit continuously on a dark building silhouetted by the setting sun, the hit rate went up to 90%+. I got tired of sharpening the Sigma output and traded the both for a Sony a700 and SAL18250 and the focus hit-rate stayed right up but the focus speed increased (and that was a seriously fast-shooting combination).

...the thing is, shooting the 17-55 kit lens, you would never have a clue about this because with that lens it actually is halfway-decent. It's not long enough to get into any real trouble, and really only missed on shots with poor contrast shot in low light, shots that at the time I didn't expect to get anyway. But even through the various Canons that I tried before settling on the Sigma (last year, well before the new Tamron 18-250VC was announced) the focus was always a litle flaky, I kept blaming it on the lenses, blaming it on the fact that I was shooting them near wide-open instead of stopped down to F8, but no, it was the 400d all along. You won't get anything but crap out of a Sigma 18-200 unless it's shot at F8, so that was one less excuse. It takes a keen eye to really detect a near-focus miss but after a while, especially shooting raw, you'll spot it easily. I wouldn't waste my time or money on this camera simply because it isn't worth the shots that you will miss with it. It's a great exmample of the problem with looking at a few test shots when evaluating a camera. The good, sharp shots out of this camera look great. Most of the shots out of it are not good and sharp. Just ok, "near-focused", just "ok" in terms of sharpness, especially with the dulling effect of in-camera NR. When you start to shoot raw and get a good focus with this camera your eyes will water, you will stop shooting jpeg and you will want that sharpness every time and this camera simply will not give it to you on a regular basis. Getting it on a regular basis is as simple as getting a decent DSLR, shooting the lens stopped-down to F8 and taking some care when focusing and watching the shutter-speed.

...but ok. Coming from a p&s with a ton of noise and NR shooting jpeg, this is a good camera, and will blow-focus no worse than the average p&s, but you can do much better for the same price with any of the 10d-40d subframes if you insist on a Canon subframe, or any of the low-end KM, Sony or Nikon DSLRs. I've never shot a Pentax or Olympus DSLR so I can't say anything about them, but they probably focus better and more reliably than the 400d also. And don't worry about how many focus-points they have, in practice you are only going to use the cross-type focus-points and the Canons only have one, in the center. All you care about is whether it hits a good focus if you use that focus-point. The rest are there just to help keep focus when shooting tight on moving subjects, in general use they just confuse the camera unless the camera has an "intelligent" multi-point AF system like the Nikons 51p AF system (with 15 cross points). With any Canon currently on the market (as in August 2008) you will probably just shoot the center cross point, same with the low-end Nikons, KMs and most Sonys.
I like the wide-angle AF system on the Sony A200, it works very well, and very fast. That camera runs rings around the 400D in everything except noise, for less money.

WazzoTheMartian

Registered: July 2008Posts: 1

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by WazzoTheMartian

Review Date: 7/29/2008

Would you recommend the product? No |
Total Spent: $750.00| Rating: 4

Pros:

Excellent sensor, good interface, great RAW processing tool (DPP).

Cons:

Second-rate autofocus, can't review full image in the field, small grip.

- Most significantly the auto focus, auto exposure and white balance are inferior to any modern compact. This is due to the fact that these parameters are determined by little auxiliary sensors which are greatly inferior in quality to the main sensor. Reviewers really ought to state this clearly in any entry level SLR review, since it will surprise and disappoint anyone from a compact background who expects these things to work properly.

You need to review every shot you take immediately because not only will the exposure often be not as you might expect but it alter even when repeating the shot. Auto white balance will be reliable under blue skies, but clouds and shade or partial clouds will confuse it. Either set the correct white balance at the time or shoot RAW and fix it later.

Autofocus is the greatest problem and the extent to which you can make it work with this dodgy SIR setup will determine whether you will make the grade as a photographer with Canon gear. You will get unpredictable results focusing on certain types of foliage, certain types of hair, subjects in lowish light, subjects of one colour, subjects that are not flat, certain lenses etc, etc, etc. It really is not good. It is my assessment that this is a problem common to most Canon SLRs, not just the 400D and not just the specimen I bought. Read more here: http://warrenmars.com/pictures/camera/canon_focus/canon_focus.htm
It's not good enough for Canon to put a little warning in small print at the back of the manual that gives no real idea of the extent of the problem. It is my opinion that if a camera gives the focus lock sound, then you should have the focus that you want. With this camera there is no guarantee. This is not to say that it can't focus at all. You will get at least some keepers, so long as your body and lenses are correctly calibrated, but you can never be sure until you see it on your computer screen. Which brings me to my next complaint.

- The LCD is an ok size and ok resolution without being class leading, the problem is that you can't see a 100% crop of a shot on this screen. You can magnify the image to what APPEARS to be 100% but it's not the full image, only a moderate sized thumbnail which makes all shots look soft whether they are or not, so you really cannot tell if your shot was properly sharp whilst in the field. This is unacceptable quite frankly. You can tell with compacts, so why not the 400D?

- The battery is a little small. Don't believe any reviews that quote 500 - 600 shots. They are lying or they used an ultra low energy regime. Using a few flash shots, continuous review and a fair bit of telephoto zooming I get around 200 shots per charge. This is just ok, so long as you always take a charged up spare, because you WILL run out.

- In one of the most stupid decisions that one can imagine, Canon have set the flash to slow syncro by default. Until you consult the manual and figure out how change it to 1/200 sec in the custom functions you will get blurred shots every time you use the flash. Amazing! How could they be so stupid? How could the famous reviewers have failed to mention this?

- Yes, the only normal timer setting is 10 sec. There is no excuse for this. Compacts give a much better range of options and there is no reason SLRs should be any worse. You can use the mirror lock up in conjunction which will give you a 2 sec delay. It's a bit more mucking around but I used it.

- I question the value of the AF point select button. It seems like a waste of space. Surely anyone with any understanding will set it to centre point only and leave it there. People with no understanding will leave it on all points selected. This option could be happily put into the menu structure and the button either done away with or used for something more important.

BTW this begs the question as to why the damn manufacturers keep producing more expensive and complex auto focus units with more points when all we need is one really good one in the centre!

- As a general rule you can't really use the manual focus. Sure the facility is always there, but except in rare circumstances you can't tell by eye whether the subject is fully sharp. it may look sharp in the viewfinder but probably won't be on the computer screen. I know that all the SLRs have this problem, so we can't blame Canon for this one, but it would be nice if one could see whether a correction needed to be made before pressing the shutter release.

- The information bar in the viewfinder blinks off after just a few seconds. You need to half press the shutter to renew it. It should be always on and auto renew.

- The zoom in and out buttons used in image review make only small jumps. You have to press far too many times to zoom fully in, and then you have to hold it down to zoom all the way back out again. Very clumsy! Not that it matters since you can't tell if the pics are in focus anyway.

- The hand grip is a little small for most men's hands. Mind you, this is not a deal breaker since you DO get used to it. Still, it doesn't feel as natural as its competitors.

- The 400D body is only partly configured as a standard USB mass transfer device. This means that unless you have Canon EOS software installed or use a card reader, you can download JPG files but not RAW. This is just game playing on Canon's part, forcing us to use their software. Get out of it Canon, you're selling cameras, not software. Stop trying to control us!

- Get rid of the damn basic zone. If you need to use full auto or modes such as closeup or portrait you shouldn't be buying an SLR! Those spots on the mode wheel could be far better employed for user defined custom functions, my A610 had one custom spot, why not the 400D? By the way, as far as I can ascertain the ADep doesn't work.

Now for the good!

- IFF you get everything right and use a good lens you DO get great IQ! IFF!!!

- The Canon CMOS sensor is about 1 stop more sensitive than the Sony/Nikon CCD sensor giving better low noise high ISO performance.

- The ergonomics work well. The one button access to white balance, ISO speed, drive mode and focus mode is totally the right way to go. And the shooting display is big and clear. These things are much better than the Nikon way.

- You get an AF lock fast under almost any conditions other than a flat monochrome surface. Whether it is accurate is another matter...

- ISO performance really is at least a couple of stops better than any compact. You can shoot at ISO 800 with confidence that the IQ will be excellent and ISO 400 is nearly indistinguishable from ISO 100! I use it by default. ISO 1600 is usable but not top quality.

- It has all the features offered by its competition at the time, and often more than them.

- It is small and light for an APS SLR and with a small lens can be semi-inconspicuous...

- You can shoot RAW + JPG which gives you the best of both worlds.

- The latest Digital Photo Professional is a great piece of free kit, enabling you to SIMPLY and ACCURATELY correct the most common problems in a RAW shot. Such as exposure, white balance and lens distortion. I have used other 3rd party software such as Photoshop and ACDSee Pro, but this makes it SO easy. You wish you had another stop of exposure? just move the slider up a stop. You really wanted Cloudy white balance? select Cloudy! Want to get rid of the barrel distortion? tick the distortion box. If your version of DPP has the correct lens profile it will simply fix it! Now that's impressive! Photoshop can claim to do all this stuff but I assure you it is not nearly so easy or accurate, when you use the DPP sliders you get THE ACTUAL effect you would have got if you had set those parameters when the shot was taken, this is because Canon know the software inside their cameras, Adobe don't. True, Nikon and others provide RAW editing tools with their SLRs but DPP is fast, powerful and intuitive, it's much better to use.

- It is or was the best value for money provided you can live with the problems.

And that's about it. The 450D has arrived on the scene and I have seen some excellent photos taken with it, however I have also read plenty of complaints about front focusing. The contrast detect auto focusing in Live View is the thing that I most fancy but from what I have read it doesn't seem that it is the real world answer to focusing issues just yet.

For me the AF was unacceptably bad and I eventually tried out a Sony A100, a Nikon D70 and a D60 which I liked so much that I bought it and sold all my Canon stuff. The Nikon gives me the results that I expected when I decided to get into the SLR world. this doesn't mean that the D60 or the Nikon system are perfect, not at all, Canon is better at most things but I can live with Nikon's little irritations. What I can't live with is Out Of Focus shots! At the end of the day, there is NOTHING more important than focus.

The 400D doesn't focus properly.

mgm

Registered: May 2008Posts: 1

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by mgm

Review Date: 6/2/2008

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $700.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

great camera with great quality pictures

Cons:

crapy lens

the review classifies it as a lens, but this is my opinion on the rebelxti after the review above not much else to say

JayceOoi

Registered: November 2007Posts: 4

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by JayceOoi

Review Date: 12/24/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $736.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Light weight, good control layout, excellent image quality

Cons:

Under expose, small grip, no spot metering

This is my first SLR. Too bad that my copy has under expose issue. Therefore, I need to adjust most of the photo. Will send to repair soon. :P

The image quality is good when pair with high quality lens. I love it with pair with 50mm 1.4. The images are sharp.

Overall, I am happy with it. Will be happier if no under expose issue. =)

This is my first DSLR , as I have been using a Canon Powershot S60 compact and film-SLR's in the past.

Overall I really like this camera.
The image quality is great (depending on the lens you use), noise levels are good for a 1.6crop camera, the controls are good though not perfect, the case is part plastic , but even so it feels solid and it has a large and bright LCD screen to view your shots on.

Being used to a digital compact however it annoys me that you can't preview and frame your shot using the LCD, but you have to look through the viewfinder , even though there's a perfectly good lcd screen right below it.
This means you have to hunch over or couch down to take shots that are below eye level , and you can forget about raising the camera above your head and shoot. I feel tied to the viewfinder.
It must be said that very few DSLR feature live preview , but I still miss it.

It also lack the red focus-assist light that the S60 has. This means that not only is it harder to autofocus in low-light but I can't do my favorite trick of using the red light as an indicator of where the lens is aimed and snap a photo without ever taking my eyes of the subject.

The camera also has an annoying tendency to underexpose , particularly in poor lighting conditions and when set to evaluative measurement.
This and the lack of live preview are my two greatest annoyances.

The grip of the camera is also a little awkward , but you get used to it .. and if you don't you can by the battery-grip which solves this problem.
The camera is fairly lightweight for its size and not cumbersome to carry.

The sensor clean system works quite well and has already saved me from cleaning the sensor a few times.

The autofocus system usually works well .. at least in good lighting conditions , but when it doesn't , I find the controls to manually select the autofocus point a bit slow. It also only allows me to have all focuspoints active or just one .. I would have liked an extra option of only letting it choose between the centermost focuspoints.

Manual focusing lack , like most Canon DSLR's, a better focusscreen more suited to manual focusing.
I prefer a split center focusscreen as I'm familiar with that from the film-SLR's I've used.

Speed is quite good .. you can get upto 24 frames JPEG or 10 frame RAW at 3fps - You can get better but not for this price.

There no startup or shutterlag, so you can start using it as soon as you turn it on.

The built-in flash works fine , but it cannot be twisted to shoot into the ceiling which would have made it so much more usable, as direct flash is really ugly (just like on all other cameras).

Battery life seems quite fair .. I haven't had any problems with it, and should I ever run out then it uses the same battery as my S60 so I can just borrow that.
Also uses CF cards just like the S60 so they really complement each other well.

Overall I'd say the camera is not without it's flaws , but I still think it offers the best bang for the buck.

fergusonjr

Registered: January 2007Posts: 15

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by fergusonjr

Review Date: 1/15/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $725.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Low Price. Light and portable. High-quality images.

Cons:

Small grip, plastic body, the name

This is a lot of camera for the money. The controls are easy to use, it produces very high-quality images, it's light, compact, and very portable.

Although I thought that after extended use I would really hate the small grip on this camera, I have to say that it really hasn't bothered me that much. Perhaps this is because I'm using some larger L-lenses on it like the 24-70mm f/2.8 . . . a case where it's more like the camera is being attached to the lens, and you're really holding onto the lens more than the camera.

I really like the shutter sound on this camera . . . that crisp, classic shutter sounds more interesting than any of the other Canon SLRs. Although I like the second wheel on the 30D, I much prefer the menu setup on the XTi, and I really prefer the placement of the current settings on the main LCD rather than on the top LCD window as with the 30D. By comparison, the 30D's top LCD window looks very old-fashioned. The big bright screen on the XTi is very nice and it seems to display colors a great deal better than the 30D does, which seems to have a strange, persistent greenish-cast.

The self-cleaning-sensor seems to work pretty well as I haven't found any lingering dust yet!

It's pretty hard to declare any serious shortcomings with this camera, especially when you consider the price, which is quite a bit better than its primary competitor, the Nikon D80. I like this camera a lot (so far), and I have no hesitation in recommending it. I just wish Canon would stop calling this the Rebel, and just let us have it here as the 400D. Having this camera doesn't make me feel rebellious, nor do I want it to. I just want it to help me take great pictures, and that it does!

mousitch

Registered: January 2007Posts: 1

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by mousitch

Review Date: 1/13/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $1,100.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

great feel

Cons:

n/a

I used this camera for the first time in St.Louis on the sideline of the rams/bears Monday night game. It was confortable to tote around and took some great pictures. Battery life was a lot better than expected. Holds quite a few photos with a 1 GB card. I had this set on ISO 400 and had it set on the Af on the "action setting". Did not miss a beat....Overall great camera for the price.

mlacoursiere

Registered: January 2007Posts: 3

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by mlacoursiere

Review Date: 1/11/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $899.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Easy to use, good price

Cons:

none

I am new to the SLR world, but this camera instantly made me feel comfortable. The basic functions are pretty much self explainatory and the manual that comes with the camera really explains the features and how to use them very well.

I saw a lot of people had trouble with the grip, but being female with smaller hands, the grip is great! The camera is light weight and performs as I would expect it to.

Currently my main picture taking is on my cats and I was thrilled to see that I could get pictures (everytime) with out their eyes glowing and was able to enlarge them without losing quality!

I can't wait for summer to get here so that I can start taking pictures at the lake!

JimT

Registered: January 2007Posts: 3

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by JimT

Review Date: 1/10/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $899.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Light Weight - Image Quality

Cons:

Small grip

This is my first DSLR. I held off switching from film because the point and shoot digi cams I had used had poor image quality, and DSLR’s were so pricy.

But when my 14 year old Elan finally died I took the plunge.
Now I am wondering why I waited so long.

The IQ is much better than I expected, even with my older lens.
I don’t seem to have any issues with underexposure but I tend to shoot in M or Tv with center weighted metering.
For my first DSLR I could not be happier. I just hope it proves as durable as my Elan.

ckhorne

Registered: January 2007Posts: 8

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by ckhorne

Review Date: 1/2/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $780.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Lightweight, large screen, 10MP, full selection of lenses

Cons:

none

This camera is my first dSLR, so my experience is limited. However, I've been able to compare directly against a Rebel, an XT, and a 30D, and still contend that this is the all around best choice for a consumer camera.

Since most people already know the features, I'll skip to the highlights:

- The 10MP feature is ok, but not a selling point; it only give a little more room for cropping.
- The screen on the back is awesome. I used the aforementioned cameras and realized how incredible the new screen is in use; this alone makes this camera worth it
- The grip has been a non-issue with me. I'm average, and don't notice the small grip size being a problem
- It's light, yet well-made, which makes it perfect for hiking trips

drwho9437

Registered: November 2006Posts: 9

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by drwho9437

Review Date: 1/1/2007

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $780.00| Rating: 9

Let me start with the negatives. Everyone talks about the grip on this camera being bad. That may well be so, but without other cameras to compare against I'm not sure I would have pick up on it. It certainly could be better, but my hand isn't falling off, I just wonder if some stability is gone because of hand position. Of course you hold it with 2 hands when shooting and there is a grip available.

The viewfinder on the other hand has no antidote. Its not very good compared to other pentimirrors even on the market. Its unfortunate, but there it is.

Other things people see as negative, its so light weight and so on I see as positives. I hike with my cameras light is good. Plastic's being "low quality", I'm not sure what that means, its not made of kevlar or anything, but it seems fine.

I'm glad this time around I could get an all black one. Because the silver 300D I had really did *look* like a toy even if it wasn't.

This camera isn't a toy. Its deadly serious. Omissions such as a lack of a spot meter, while important and worthy of note, are less important today than they were in the pre digital age. Those following a zone system should be quite good at histograms.

Start up is instant on this camera. Anti-dust is in place, though I had no major cause for dust issues on my 300D that preceded this, but its nice to know someone thought about it and put something there.

I thought the lack of an info panel would be a big deal. It isn't. Not at all. Had the info panel been removed from the top it might have been, but given its position it doesn't matter at all, except battery life.

In the end its a fine camera. Photography is about pictures in the end and so long as you aren't in a some strange environment the 400D can deliver, best in class results. However unlike in the 300D's day the competition is here, both the Pentax K10D and the Nikon D80, deliver fine results, with higher build quality. The pentax at a close price point.

In the end many people reading may not have a system, for those who already own Canon the 400D is an easy choice (or a painful one). For those that don't let me emphasis its the *SYSTEM* you are buying into not a body. Who has what you need: Canon? Nikon? Pentax? Sony? Olympus? Fuji?

If I had nothing camera wise today: I'd say the system that fits me best is: Pentax (or will when the 16-50mm comes out).

philhirn

Registered: December 2006Posts: 5

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by philhirn

Review Date: 12/28/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $850.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Price, Image Quality

Cons:

Lacking customization

Very Good Image quality after all, and you get used to the thin grip... a bit. What I want most is more cusomizability (...) regarding direct camera controls - is anyone serious using scene modes anyways?

jraNL2

Registered: December 2006Posts: 6

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by jraNL2

Review Date: 12/25/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $906.00| Rating: 9

While, to me, the EOS 350D/XT is not so appealing as an up-grade to my 300D and 10D, the launching of this 400D/XTi is a different story. Again, what a lovely product is this ! To give some impression, I have put some images taken with this small marvel here:

Of course you'll hear remarks from people who put their noses high in the air for such a "toy" camera, but in fact this "toy" is made for beginners AND advanced photographers alike who - as pointed by other reviewers correctly - know what to do to get excellent results out of this "toy". Everybody knows the old saying that not the camera but the person behind it rules, but only a few people dare to admit this. I'm glad that the manufacturer has understood this stream of photography philosophy well and put the better ingredients into this little EOS 400D/XTi which make the camera not less or inferior than its (professional) big brothers, imaging-result wise. And that at such a hallelujah price? Thanks, Canon !

Of course the grip is small, but like in the old days of analogue photography when nobody complained about the disasterous ergonomic grips of those bricks, it's more an issue of being used to something new. With a proper handling of camera/lens combination - where the left hand plays a major role to sustain the combo firmly just under the lens - there will be less cramp-in-my-right-hand issue, as now the right hand is the command centre only to control the shutter, the aperture wheel and other right-situated control buttons. What's left of these all? A handy, small, light, handsome, inconspicuous camera with logical control buttons, a good sensor, RAW possibility, various Picture Styles to everyone's taste, easy to access ISO, WB, metering and AF modes without having to dig deep into the menu pages first, intuitive handling and - the most important thing - excellent results.

Provided one knows what to do - or if one doesn't know what to do but isn't a snob who's after "show-off elements", this is the right back-up or main camera for you. For the latter group of users, there's always the hyper automatic green zone built in this camera to learn the photography at one's own pace. This camera is a truly photographic TOOL in the right sense of the word except to hit the nail on the wall with. Highly recommended.

Xtian

Registered: December 2006Posts: 6

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by Xtian

Review Date: 12/25/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $700.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Light, Small, Cheap.

Cons:

Thin Grip, no Spot Metering, + others

I was a Film SLR guy since 1995. I got tired of waiting for a Full-Frame dSLR to fall down into consumer price range so I bit the bullet and got myself this mini-SLR.

-- GRIP ISSUE --
Going from a EOS Elan to this body the first thing would be the size of the grip. The grip isn't "small" in the sense of the width from back to front (thumb to finger) but what it lacks is the mass on the PALM (right side of the body). If you hold a sponge on your palm and grab the grip, then it is perfect. The reason Canon compromised in this area was probably to make the camera smaller. They would probably have had to add a half-inch bulge on the right side of the camera (where your palm rests as you grab the grip) to make it a regular size grip.

The way I remedied this was by getting a Canon E1 hand strap. I didn't even have to get a battery grip to attach it as I just use my manfrotto tripod RC2 Rapid Connect head to attach it there. (there's a ring for the tripod rapid connect mount I can attach it to, and it protects the bottom of the camera as well)

I can use the hand strap as a body extender and grab the grip and hand strap together (thus increasing the grip size on the palm) for a better feel when using a neck strap, or just the hand strap without the neck strap for hand-carry. They both work great for me, and I have no complaints about it.

(I'll add an image later)

-- UNDEREXPOSURE ISSUE --
There's a lot of complaints all over the web regarding how this body underexposes by usually 2/3 of a stop. And my experience seem to be the same... BUT I don't think it is that big of an issue if you are aware of it and can compensate manually. For those new to SLRs it shouldn't even bother them for now, pictures are fine, if they look dark, then use your flash, or read about how to compensate the image, etc.

another reason is that people compare it to the 350D (rebel xt) and how this sensor on the 400D is worse. Well, yes, more megapixels on a same size sensor and you'll get less light per sensor. Most likely the sensor size has reached its limit. Also, it is regarded that the ISO on the 350D is off. Their 100 ISO is actually 125 ISO measured, 200 ISO is 250 measured and so on. While the 400D is accurate 100 ISO is actually 100 ISO measured. So yeah, the 350D will be able to get a -2/3 or so stop exposure over the 400D.

But, it seems it isn't regarded as a "problem" as canon doesn't seem to be releasing a Firmware update to "fix" it. Most likely I'm thinking Canon wants the people who KNOW about this "issue" (prosumer) to move up to 30D, while the people who don't know (consumer) will not mind at all (as the 350D was known for having extreme highlight blow-outs now and then. And those in-between will just photoshop it or something

-- MY OWN ISSUE --
The thing that bugs me the most is how the selection of the drive mode (single, multi, timer) and focus mode (One Shot, AI Focus, AI Servo) is done. I have to press the button, look at the LCD and use the ARROW keys to select one (I don't have to press SET though like the 350D).

Why does it bug me? Because I just want to be able to keep pressing the button to rotate between the 3 different modes. That way I don't even have to take my eyes off the viewfinder. I guess I am spoiled by my ELAN which I was able to use that way. I used to do single shot, then reach over and press the DRIVE button 2x to get multi-shot and keep shooting right away, withough having to re-frame the shot. Anyhow... i guess i could get used to this new way...

-- CONCLUSION --
I knew most of these shortcomings when moving to this camera, but I was tired of developing film and waiting for a consumer priced Full-Frame body (maybe in 7 years?). Why I chose this over the 30D? Price. Price. Price. With the price difference I can buy an excellent Prime lens. Also, there will most likely be a 30D replacement in February (most likely with DIGIC III, sensor shake, larger LCD, etc)

I think for the price you can't beat the 400D. It has its short-comings but if you are just a consumer/prosumer I don't think there's a great reason for going to 30D. (grip size, second dial on the back, accurate exposure, spot metering, being the most i can think of... other than the I'm cool factor of "ewww, i don't want the rebel, it's so... un-pro") If you're making money with your camera, you should buy a Full-Frame body period and everybody knows that.

I used my ELAN film body when I was a photographer for a newspaper... I'm not anymore, just a hobby and the 400D is excellent.... just get the body and buy a nice lens with the money saved.

jcctx

Registered: December 2006Posts: 4

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by jcctx

Review Date: 12/22/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $700.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

grip, features, lcd

Cons:

none yet

Very happy with this purchase but not crazy about the kit lens. Replaced it with 24-70 2.8, much better. Image quality is very good, features are good, just taking a little time to get used to the menu.

cjbowlsby

Registered: November 2006Posts: 17

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by cjbowlsby

Review Date: 12/5/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $800.00| Rating: 9

It really is a great little camera. Fantastic resolution, fast focusing (though not as fast as my 20d). Great high ISO performance. Respectable burst depth and speed (with a fast CF card).

But that little tiny grip is just awful.

On the other hand, for travel and insconspicuous work, I really do like having a small camera. And for weddings, the quiet shutter is terrific during the ceremony. And just attaching the BG-E3, makes it a lot more ergonomically friendly & gives me even better battery life.

singeraj

Registered: November 2006Posts: 1

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by singeraj

Review Date: 11/28/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $900.00| Rating: 10

Pros:

Instant Power On, Lightweight

Cons:

Darker than normal images

My first DSLR. Haven't owned an SLR for several years. Am very impressed with this camera but admittedly I haven't had the chance to really go through all the features/functions. Pictures seem much darker overall but this can be very easily fixed. (I used PSP8)

I love how it's ready to shoot in an instant. Probably my favorite feature so far. I'm used to a pathetically slow 3 or 4 seconds with my Kodak Z650.

I know this review is just a newbie overview but I really do like this camera! It feels great in my hands and I have zero complaints so far.

gadgetguy

Registered: May 2006Posts: 62

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by gadgetguy

Review Date: 11/19/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: None indicated| Rating: 9

Pros:

lightweight, large LCD, sensor cleaning

Cons:

small hand grip

The perfect DSLR for travelling, when matched with a lightweight zoom or prime.

Sensor cleaning works and I would loved ot have had it on my DSLR when I was travelling last summer with no access to a clean blower or service center when I was in the field.

The hand grip is a little smalll, though, so for all-day continuous shooting in my largish hands, it became a little uncomfortable for but casual shooting it shouldn't really be a problem.

The camera's overall small size can, however, be an advatage - especially for 'stealthy' applications such as street photography or candids, when using a monster-sized DSLR might call too much attention.

krustymug

Registered: November 2006Posts: 1

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by krustymug

Review Date: 11/18/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $900.00| Rating: 9

Pros:

Fast AF, Rear LCD is nice on tripod, Dust reduction is great

Cons:

Small (I have Big Hands), Would like some weather sealing

The 400D/XTi was my first DSLR camera. Got tired of point and shoot cameras with no options. I do like the construction but i need the battery grip to be able to hold the camera reasonably due to my big hands. Some weather sealing would be nice but i know this is a disadvantage with canon low-midrange products since i do a lot of hiking with my camera as well as wildlife. 1.6 crop factor is nice i enjoy the effect since i like to spend more time in the telephoto end. I would recommend this camera to others, just feels kinda small and cheap compared to some others i have held/used before. Great product for the price range though.

Jon S

Registered: November 2006Posts: 4

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi 400D review by Jon S

Review Date: 11/15/2006

Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Total Spent: $1,400.00| Rating: 8

Pros:

Compact, easy to use, very clean images compared to a compact digital camera...

Cons:

finicky exposure issues,

The Rebel XTi is the first digital SLR camera I bought. My first camera was the 35mm Canon A-1 SLR which I still have. I also purchased the Canon PowerShot Pro 1 and the PowerShot S3IS. I really liked the Pro1 except for two issues, slow auto focus and noisy images. I also had the S3IS for a very short time but was disappointed with the EVF and severe CA. So I decided to bite the bullet and bought the XTi.

I like the camera, but it performs very different from my other two digital cameras. I can take several shots of a subject and I will get an occasional under exposed image. As a whole, the images are darker than my other cameras. From what I can understand, the XTi does this by design to prevent blown highlights. This may sound reasonable as you can always use a photo editing program to lighten the levels.

My bigger gripe is that the camera is calibrated to expose the foreground only when flash is used and the camera is set to AUTO or Programmed mode. You will then have a properly exposed foreground but the background will be dark. Not always what I want.

To get around this, the image must be taken using either TV or AV modes. The camera will then expose the background a bit lighter. They say it will result in over exposed foregrounds but i have not found this to be the case (so far). Another way to overcome the underexposed flash shots is to change the metering mode in the custom menus (nbr 8) to center weight metering iso the default evaluative). The will alleviate the darker background to some degree. Another trick would be to use flash exposure compensation or flash lock.

I find the optical viewfinder rather small compared to other SLRs (tested.80X magnification according to reviews). Another issue is the small battery. The NB2LH is rated for 700ma. The CIPA rating is 360 shots, and using a IS 18-85mm lens is supposed to reduce that further (~240 shots). This is rather pathetic, the Nikon D80 is rated well over 2000 shots. This means that if I go overseas, I must bring spare charged batteries as well as a power converter for the charger.

I find the auto focus really quick (the Pro 1 took over 1/2 second). The images are a lot cleaner (the Pro1 suffered above ISO100). altho I think the Pro 1 lens was superior to my 18-85mm in sharpness. Considering the USB port is 2.0, the transfer rate on the XTi is painful. It is almost as bad as my Pro1 with its USB 1.1 port. I really like the larger 2.5" LCD screen, the XT's 1.8" was really pitiful.

I have read that some people complained that the grip is too small. I don't find that to be a problem as i have small hands and it feels perfect for me.

Why did I opt for the XTi vs the Nikon D80? I already had a Canon 420EX strobe which is compatible with the XTi. I have always liked my other Canon cameras. What i did not like about the Nikon was the images on the Nikon seemed a bit pastel like to me. Plus the fact the Nikon accessories are rather expensive (the Canon gear is not much cheaper)

Once you understand the XTi's performance "issues" (Canon calls them designed features), it is easy to use and a good performer. I think the XT was the best of the previous generation of cameras, but the XTi has some really tough competition with the Nikon D80, Sony DSLR-A100 and the new Pentaxes coming out. I think the XTI is a contender but no longer the leader it once was.